BTEC HND Unit 52 Advanced Housing Design and Specification (L/618/8129) Assignment Brief 2026

Unit 52 Advanced Housing Design & Specification Assignment Brief

Introduction

In this unit, students will explore the role of design and specification in the production of housing. The emphasis in this unit is on expanding the knowledge and awareness of the processes of design, information production and construction, integrating the work of other professionals and consultants, to ensure high-quality design output.

Students will develop strategies and propositions that achieve stakeholder needs by addressing design, technical, environment and cost challenges.

By the end of this unit, students will have a greater awareness of managing their own design process as well as an understanding of how other professionals contribute to design and specification.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this unit, students will be able to:

LO1 Review a given site and client brief to develop a housing design proposition

LO2 Prepare building information modelling data and construction information in support of a housing design proposition

LO3 Produce specifications and schedules, based on construction information, for a contract tender

LO4 Present a housing design proposal and tender package to a diverse audience, integrating information from other consultants.

Assignment Tasks

LO1 Review a given site and client brief to develop a housing design proposition

• Site considerations
• Scale
• Location
• Traffic/access
• Zoning/planning
• Design considerations
• Site/building orientation
• Client/user requirements
• Site density
• Housing type/typology
• Procurement model
• Construction method
• Health and safety
• Building regulations
• Environmental considerations
• Materials
• Energy supply
• Heating/ventilation
• Material transport
• Construction/manufacturing method
• Consultant integration
• Information (e.g., structural, mechanical, cost)
• Integration
• Clash detection
• Value engineering
• Design revision

LO2 Prepare building information modelling data and construction information in support of a housing design proposition

• Drawings
• Presentation drawings
• Technical drawings
• Models
• Physical models
• Digital models
• Building Information Modelling (BIM)
• Consultant information
• Structural drawings
• Mechanical drawings
• BIM
• Cost information
• Manufacturing information

LO3 Produce specifications and schedules, based on construction information, for a contract tender

• Specification types
• Outline specification
• Performance specification
• Prescriptive specification
• Proprietary specifications
• Schedules
• Door schedules
• Hardware schedules
• Window schedules
• Schedules of Work
• Contracts
• Contract type
• Standard clauses and conditions
• Contract prelims

LO4 Present a housing design proposal and tender package to a diverse audience, integrating information from other consultants

• Proposal
• Feasibility
• Design
• Engineering
• Cost
• Audience
• Professional
• Non-professional
• Statutory bodies
• Presentation
• Format (e.g., written report, audio-visual, etc.)
• Feedback and reflection

Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria

Recommended Resources

Print resources

BALLAST, D. (2009), Architect’s Handbook of Construction Detailing, John Wiley & Sons

BUSSEY, P. (2019), CDM 2015: A Practical Guide for Architects and Designers, Routledge

CHING, F. (2011), Building Construction Illustrated, John Wiley & Sons

CHUDLEY, R., GREENO, R., KOVAC, K. (2020), Chudley and Greeno’s Building Construction Handbook, Butterworth-Heinemann

CIBSE (2006), Environmental Design, CIBSE

CONSTRUCTION SPECIFICATIONS INSTITUTE (2011), The CSI Construction Specifications Practice Guide, John Wiley & Sons

HUTH, M. (2018), Understanding Construction Drawings, Cengage Learning

KALIN, M., WEYGANT, R., ROSEN, H., REGENER, J. (2010), Construction Specifications Writing: Principles and Procedures, John Wiley & Sons

LAWSON, B. (2006), How Designers Think: The Design Process Demystified, Routledge

MCDONOUGH, W., BRAUNGART, M. (2010), Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, North Point Press

MEIER, H., WYATT, D. (2008), Construction Specifications, Delmar Pub

Links

This unit links to the following related units:

• Unit 1: Construction Design Project (Pearson-set)
• Unit 2: Construction Technology
• Unit 4: The Construction Environment
• Unit 6: Digital Applications for Construction Information
• Unit 13: Building Information Modelling
• Unit 26: Digital Applications for Building Information Modelling
• Unit 28: Group Project (Pearson-set)
• Unit 47: Advanced Building Information Modelling
• Unit 51: Advanced Construction Development & Prototyping

Answer

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